Gordon thinks Future of the Team is Really GoodPosted by TigerinATL on 1/29/13 at 11:15 am

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quote:Gordon Settling In With New Orleans: The New Orleans Hornets, soon to be the Pelicans, are starting to find some rhythm to their game. They are not winning as much as they’d like but they are finally able to put the squad they envisioned on the floor with a somewhat healthy Eric Gordon.

Gordon is still working his way back into shape after missing a huge of chunk of the season to knee rehab and says he’s still sore after most games. Gordon is starting to get more comfortable on the floor and starting to see the promise of the team he is trying to lead.

“It’s still early to tell how good we can be. We’ve shown at any time we can beat any team and that’s the good part,” Gordon told HOOPSWORLD. “We just have to see how good we can be and keep on playing more games and keep playing together. It’s good to see from a future standpoint and we just have to keep playing like we’ve been playing.”

The Gordon-effect is noticeable. Early in the season the Hornets looked like a young team, with ups and downs in energy level. With Gordon on the floor the team seems to have an added bounce and is playing with more confidence.

“That was one of my expectations from last year,” Gordon said. “I expect a lot out of these guys. It’s time to play everybody’s role. I think everybody was scattered. When you lose a lot of games, it’s hard to figure out how to win at times. Once you start winning, and we’ve been on a roll; first time I’ve been here that we’ve had a five game winning streak. That just helps out and everybody confidence-wise has just gotten bigger.”

A lot has been made about Gordon’s commitment to New Orleans, and despite his repeated endorsement of the team the rumors still persist, however Gordon says he is starting to see the bright future his squad has in front of him.

“I understood from last year, I just didn’t play in that many games,” explained Gordon. “I’m here to win and here to make guys better. It’s definitely a great situation and the future can be really good here, hopefully we just really build up chemistry this year.”

The Western Conference is filled with power teams that built through the draft and were patient with the necessary growth process to have sustained success. Gordon says the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies are examples of what the Hornets are trying to do.

“I can tell that’s what they’re trying to do here,” explained Gordon. “They’re starting out very, very young. We got a lot of guys that are under 23 and are trying to build a team. I can definitely see it.”

The Hornets are looking at another NBA Draft in their future and what could be as much as $20 million in cap space to add this summer. They have an incredibly young core and several tradable assets and with Gordon, rookie Anthony Davis and several up and coming veterans the Hornets/Pelicans look to be headed in the right direction or at least that’s what Gordon believes.